About twenty-nine states and the federal capital territory, Abuja are participating in the ongoing National Festival of Arts and Culture, (NAFEST) which began Tuesday with the arrival of participants.
The Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, High Chief Edem Duke had,? during? a pre-NAFEST press briefing at the Calabar Cultural Centre Main bowl, announced that? though 28 states have arrived more states were being expected at the event.
But as at the time of the Cultural Parade at the U.J Esuene stadium, only a total of 28 states were recorded. States participating at the event? include Akwa Ibom, Abuja, Nasarawa, Bauchi, Edo, Delta, Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Oyo, Lagos, Ogun, Kwara, Yobe, Sokoto, Kano.
Others are, Bauchi, Bornu, Gombe, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Benue, Plateau, Niger, Kogi, Kebbi, Katsina, and host Cross River state. Jigawa state contingents arrived late after the Cultural parade.
President Goodluck Jonathan, represented at the opening ceremony by the Cross River Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke said that ‘’the 25th edition of NAFEST should lead to the centenary celebration of the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914 which, in spite of all odds, make us a united, strong and a virile nation.’’
He furthered said that the event should also remind Nigerians that there was need to forge the drive towards a more united country and applauded ‘’the new thinking in cultural administration in the country’’ by stakeholders which he said has put the sector beyond jamborees.
?Jonathan also appreciated the way the industry was moving against youth restiveness, unemployment, among others and said that it has also become a vehicle for national development, citizenship empowerment and national integration.
He said that the theme for this year’s NAFEST, ’’National Traditional Music: A vehicle for Economic Transformation and Unity’’ made the entire event truly indigenous and added? that the current Minister, Chief Duke has displayed a consistent approach to indigenous cultural development that would stand the test of time.
The President remarked that having stepped into the second half of the next 100 years as a nation, “we must resolve to use all the cultural resources at our disposal to track down and solve problems of our modern existence including our target vision 20:2020.
?“This will facilitate our building a truly bulky nation that reflects the life of its citizens; a nation that is founded on solid morality, national pride and proper application of our cultural heritage and values; a nation that black men in all lands can be proud of.’’
?Jonathan therefore urged government, at all levels, as well as the private sector, to pursue this freedom with vigour just as they should key into culture and tourism to give the economy a backbone.
?Earlier in an address, Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, High Chief Edem Duke said that NAFEST has lived up to the expectations of its founders by projecting the unity, social integration, economic development of Nigeria.
He said that the cultural event was being repositioned to align the transformation drive of the present administration especially in the areas of job creation, economic empowerment of youths, women and rural populace.
?Duke said that the theme seeks to challenge stakeholders to do a thorough identification of our traditional music forms with the potentials of being developed, packaged and presented to the global market.
Other features of the event, he said, were geared towards popularising and developing indigenous building materials and food fare to upgrade, package and market our cullinary traditions to the international community among others.
?He urged the private sector to bring out their best with a view to demonstrating the undisputed facts that Nigeria is the cultural port of Africa.